Saudi Arabia bans fruit and vegetables from India's Kerala

>> Reuters
Published: 2018-06-07 20:30:53 BdST

Medics wearing protective gear examine a patient at a hospital in Kozhikode in the southern state of Kerala, India May 21, 2018. Reuters

Saudi Arabia has bannned imports of frozen and processed fruit and vegetables from India's Kerala state, citing the risk from an outbreak of Nipah virus, Saudi Arabia said in a filing published by World Trade Organization on Thursday.

Nipah has killed at least 15 people in Kerala, but no cases of the virus have been found outside the state.

There is no vaccine for the virus, which is spread through bodily fluids and can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, the World Health Organization says.